Cricketers' Association defends Tait over false IPL claims

The Australian Cricketers' Association is providing support to fast bowler Shaun Tait after he was falsely implicated in a spot-fixing scandal involving three of his team-mates from Indian Premier League team the Rajasthan Royals. The association says it's seeking legal advice about the claims wrongly made against Tait, initially on social media.

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EMILY BOURKE: The arrest of three Indian Premier League (IPL) cricketers from the Rajasthan Royals has raised fresh questions not just about gambling on the sport but the collateral damage it can cause.

The three players have been charged by Delhi police over spot fixing, a system of rigging seemingly inconsequential parts of a match to line bookmakers' pockets.

But last night a whirlwind of coverage wrongly suggested Australian paceman Shaun Tait was mixed up in the scheme.

The association that represents Australian cricketers says it was a mortifying experience for the South Australian, as Simon Frazer reports.

(Sound of a cricket game)

CRICKETING COMMENTATOR: That's it. Swinging, full, and a wicket, the early wicket that Australia needed.

CRICKETING COMMENTATOR 2: That's why he's in the team, Shaun Tait.

SIMON FRAZER: Fans around the world have flocked to see the raw pace of Shaun Tait in action.

It also made the 30-year-old a target for the big money on offer in the Indian Premier League.

The Rajasthan Royals have made use of Tait not just on the field, but to advertise products such as Mountain Dew soft drink.

SHAUN TAIT (Advertisement): Do or die is probably a risk, taking a risk, and it could go either way but backing yourself in to pull it off...

SIMON FRAZER: Somewhat ironic words considering the man sitting next to Shaun Tait in that commercial is one-time Indian test and one-day international player S Sreesanth.

Sreesanth is one of three players charged with spot fixing with the Royals, and briefly yesterday Tait was also wrongly accused of involvement.

Rumours swirled on social media but were quashed by Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar a few hours later...

NEERAJ KUMAR: The further arrests are, will be those of bookies. No more players and your countrymen can rest in peace.

(Laughter)

SIMON FRAZER: The Australian Cricketers' Association represents players when they take the field both here and overseas.

Association boss Paul Marsh says he's spoken at length with Shaun Tait's manager about the situation and also exchanged text messages with the player himself in India.

PAUL MARSH: He's very angry and upset about the whole thing. I mean he's basically sitting there minding his own business with his girlfriends yesterday and then this broke and you know, he was completely shocked and bewildered and how it's started is something that we are trying to get to the bottom of. I'm not sure that we will but we're trying to.

PAUL MARSH: We're looking at what options we might have legally to remedy the situation.

SIMON FRAZER: Is there any suggestion of whether this originated in India or whether it was in Australia?

PAUL MARSH: Don't know at this stage. I mean it's, you know, obviously we know that the three players were arrested yesterday. The next thing that I heard was that there was Shaun Tait and one other international players name was being bandied around and once that started there were a heap of people talking about it on Twitter. Now someone starts a rumour and all of a sudden it becomes fact and it just spiralled out of control.

SIMON FRAZER: With plenty of other high-profile Australians making a dollar in the IPL, Mr Marsh says few were surprised by the charges being laid.

PAUL MARSH: There certainly has been whispers around corruption activities, not just in the IPL but a few of the other Twenty20 events and look to be fair in international cricket over the years.

SIMON FRAZER: He says all Australian players are well equipped to deal with the dangers posed by bookmakers, but there isn't as much support for players from the subcontinent.

PAUL MARSH: Every contracted player from the moment they enter our system as rookie players at whatever age, go through an education process and I think the majority of people know right from wrong so you know, if the approaches were direct you'd hope to think that the players would reject any such approaches but the fixers you know, use some pretty cunning and devious methods to try to trap players and it's not isolated to cricket either. In any sport they'll use what they can to try to get players involved so part of the education is trying to educate the players around how they may be approached, what they should look out for, what they should do if they are approached.

SIMON FRAZER: ABC cricket commentator Jim Maxwell says a betting scandal in the IPL has been a long time coming.

JIM MAXWELL: Cricket followers are not surprised by anything these days. They've learned not to take anything at face value anymore and where there's big money, there's bound to be corruption and this is very much the story around the IPL who failed to put any anti-corruption processes in place from the start and only recently have they realised that this could be an issue for them.

SIMON FRAZER: But he says the problems exposed with the IPL won't stop it remaining a lucrative money-spinner.

JIM MAXWELL: And there are a number of issues around the structure and the management of the IPL that have people raising their eyebrows and when things like this occur, then they're even more concerned about that the total integrity of the competition.

SIMON FRAZER: Do you think what's happened overnight and particularly the damage done to Shaun Tait makes the IPL any less appealing to high profile international players?

JIM MAXWELL: I wouldn't have thought so. We've got a number of Australians taking part and the older they get the more likely they are as we see Adam Gilchrist still playing over there so yeah, you've only got a limited time as a player.